TOKYO —UNIQLO on Monday announced plans to support eight great ideas aimed at giving kids around the world a brighter future. The effort is a new initiative for the “Clothes for Smiles” (CFS) program developed with tennis star Novak Djokovic, who is a UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassador.

UNIQLO launched the CFS program in October 2012 with a call for ideas from the general public on ways to give children in need a better tomorrow. In response, UNIQLO received a total of 739 inspiring ideas from 46 countries.

Working closely with the idea’s originators, UNIQLO will begin bringing them to life from April. UNIQLO will support these projects with $5 million, half of a $10 million fund established from the sale of HEATTECH and Ultra Light Down items during the 2012 fall/winter season.

The other $5 million in the fund goes toward support for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). UNIQLO will share regular updates on the progress of each project online, via its website (http://clothesforsmiles.uniqlo.com/en/candidates.php).

Through initiatives such as “Clothes for Smiles,” UNIQLO aims to leverage the power of its clothing to improve lives, worldwide.

Djokovic commented, “I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude to all of you who have submitted the ideas to the program. Your ideas are very inspirational and touching, and many children will benefit. Keeping in mind that the judges’ final decision is not a goal but a new place to start, I will continue to support the CFS program in collaboration with UNIQLO.

A constant commitment is vital for such a program, and I hope that our initiative will serve as a catalyst to create a network of companies and societies that can help to make the world a better place. This is just the beginning, and together we can do so much more and put smiles on many children’s faces. Thank you all.”

The Eight Ideas Selected for the Clothes for Smiles Program

1. UNIQLO Dream Walls: an innovative project to build walls in public spaces where children can have fun practicing and improving their ball skills.
2. Schooling Anywhere: an initiative to offer children in developing countries learning opportunities outside the classroom, tutored by professionals in fields such as sports, arts and crafts, music, and engineering.
3. An exciting project to offer displaced children living in Serbian refugee centers their first experience of shopping for new clothes using virtual money.
4. A great project to provide DVD-based tutoring to students in developing countries, to help reduce educational inequality.
5. A program to create special libraries, where children of all backgrounds can read and learn in a welcoming and informal atmosphere, to help raise literacy rates in developing countries in Asia.
6. An inspiring project to establish a hospice dedicated to enabling children with life-threatening diseases or disabilities and their families to spend their remaining time together in comfort.
7. Waku Work Center: a project to build job training facilities and business incubation centers to help destitute young people in the Philippines become self-reliant.
8. A program to support girls’ soccer teams, to instill confidence in girls in developing countries through sport and teamwork.